A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsAnderson, Nephi
Religion
A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Anderson, Nephi
Latter Day Saint churches
"'Yes, my son,' I replied, 'He has shown it all to me in a vision.'
"And then I laid him comfortably on his face and said: 'Now you lay like
that and don't move, and the Lord will make you another hip.'
"So I laid Alma on his face for five weeks, until he was entirely
recovered, a flexible gristle having grown in place of the missing joint
and socket."
Alma grew up to be a man and became a useful member of the Church.
Topics.--1. The massacre at Haun's Mill. 2. Sardius and Alma Smith.
Questions and Review.--1. Where was Haun's Mill. 2. What advice did
Joseph give the Saints who lived there? 3. What happened October 30, 1838?
4. Tell about the Smith boys and Charles Merrick. 5. Tell about Thomas
McBride. 6. How many were killed?
CHAPTER XXI.
DRIVEN FROM MISSOURI.
Wild reports now went over the country about the "Mormons;" and to make
these reports seem true some of the mobbers actually set fire to their own
log cabins and then accused the Saints of the act.
In a previous chapter, mention was made of Lilburn W. Boggs. This man was
now governor of the state, and we shall see how he used his power against
the "Mormons," whom he hated so much.
The reports that the "Mormons" were burning houses and driving people from
their homes, reached the governor, and he believed, or pretended to
believe, all these false stories. So he gave orders to the officers of the
state militia to organize an army of 2,000 men, march to the scene of the
trouble, and see that the people whom the "Mormons" had driven from their
homes were returned to them. Note how eager the governor was to restore
these few presumably abused people to their lands--but it was all right
that twelve hundred "Mormons" should be driven from their property!
The next day after the governor had issued this order, the news of the
Crooked River battle reached him, so he changed his instructions to the
commanding officer, General Clark. This order, given October 27, 1838, is
known as Governor Boggs' exterminating order, and is one of the most
disgraceful and wicked commands known in history. Exterminate means to
destroy utterly, to root out completely, and this is what a governor of a
state said should be done to twelve thousand innocent people if they did
not leave the state.
Companies of Missouri militia now came marching from various parts of the
state into Caldwell and other counties nearby. Soon Far West was surrounded
by an army. Niel Gillium was there with his band of men in Indian costume,
who whooped and yelled like true savages. On the evening of October 30th, a
party of men came fresh from the awful massacre, at Haun's Mill, eager for
more blood. Thus the town was surrounded, and as it seemed, doomed to
destruction.
The few brethren in Far West prepared to defend themselves as best they
could. It might appear useless for a handful of men to oppose an army, but
when men are fighting for their homes, their liberty, their wives and their
children, a few can do mighty deeds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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